William Irving Thibault

William Irving Thibault, Jr., age 92, died in the Veterans Administration Hospital in West Roxbury, Massachusetts on Tuesday, May 12, 2015. Born in Richmond, New York on August 13, 1922, he was the son of the late William I. and Alice (Appold) Thibault. He was raised at 40 Windsor Road in Richmond on Staten Island. At a young age, William found his passion of golf, which he played until he began losing his eye sight in 1998. He also loved animals, including his pet dogs, cats, and his parrot Polly. He graduated from Curtis High School in New York with the class of 1940.

After high school, William proudly and honorably served his country in the United States Navy during World War II. He served aboard the USS Nelson in the European and African Theater of Operations and later aboard the USS Tolman in the Asiatic Pacific Theater of Operations. He was discharged in January of 1946 as a Gunner's Mate Third Class.

William spent 6 months in California after his discharge and upon returning home, he took a position with Raymond Concrete and Pile, which later became Raymond International and Morrison and Knudsen. He moved to Iceland, where he lived for three years to oversee the engineering and building of the International Airport in Keflavik. While living in Iceland, he learned the game of Chess and became a passionate player. Even after losing his sight and becoming legally blind, he won many matches he played online with international opponents.

After leaving Iceland, William spent three and a half years in Morocco and enjoyed racing in a Maserati. In 1955, he moved to Madrid Spain, taking a position with Brown and Root. While living in Madrid, he met his wife, Patricia Callan, in 1956 and they were married on January 26, 1957 in Tangiers, Morocco. Together, they made their home in Madrid and welcomed their oldest sons, Marc in 1957 and Brett in 1959.

William moved his young family back to the United States in 1960, settling in Richmond Town, and he took a position with J E Schecter Corporation. William and Patricia welcomed their two daughters while living in New York, Pilar in 1960 and Michelle in 1963. In 1962, William graduated from New York University and began working with Mitchell Mechanical. He moved to Colonia, NJ in 1963 and welcomed his son Paul in 1964. William moved to Haworth, New Jersey in 1966.

After his retirement from Mitchell Mechanical in 1973, William moved his family to Marbella, Spain, where he was active in the American Club. In 1974, William moved back to the United States, this time settling in Houston, Texas, where he became very active with the Knights of Columbus. He took a position with Brown and Root as a Mechanical Engineer serving on several off shore jobs. One of the best jobs that he served on was the construction of a Lignite Mine in Troupe, Texas in 1975 because it gave him the opportunity to employ and work with his son Brett on the project. Other major projects that William served on included managing the construction of a Military Airbase on Diego Garcia on the Indian Ocean from 1983 through 1986 and working in Curacao in the Caribbean in 1991.

William retired from Brown and Root in 1991 and moved to Indiantown, Florida before settling in Isles of Capri, Florida with his son Marc in 2002. William moved to Massachusetts in 2005 spending the first nine months with his son Brett before moving to Walpole in 2005.
Beloved husband of Patricia (Callan) Thibault.
Loving father of Marc Thibault of Naples, FL, Brett Thibault of Mendon, Pilar Keyes and her husband of Walpole, Michelle Roberts of Brookline, and Paul Thibault of Houston, TX.
Cherished grandfather of Lys Thibault, Marie Thibault, Elian Roberts, Callan Roberts, Eddie Keyes, Annie Keyes, Leah Keyes, Eva Keyes.
Father in law of George Keyes of Walpole, Jill Thibault of Houston, and Suzanne Thibault of Hopedale.
Brother of the late Vivian DeStefano.

Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend William's Memorial Mass on Monday, May 18, 2015 at 10:00 AM in Blessed Sacrament Church, 10 Diamond Street, Walpole. Visiting hours are respectfully omitted at the request of the family and interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to The Perkins School for the Blind (http://www.perkins.org). Arrangements by James H. Delaney & Son Funeral Home, Walpole.